The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1887-08-07
ABBREVIATED BATHING SUITS.


shore. lt was all brought back TO me the
other evening when made society call.
Ihe young lady in question is one of the
sweetest girls in Multnomah county.
She is bright, all-dutiful to her parents,
and addicted to fashion in the extreme,
except in bathing suits. The evening
was warm and everybody said so. The
young lady mentioned the weather sub
Ject first. and seemingly delighted when
the group launched forth on its discus
sion. Several times during the talk she
cast little glances at me and made furtive
beckonings very much like a fish might
with Its fms. / first thought it wss a new
| nervous disease that society had acquired
| Tor Its exclusive use, but presently /
/ .'tumbled," and going over to the young
damsel with book in my hand ond some
\ sang fr0id, gave her the former 80 as
| to disarm suspicion and throttle envy.
She gave me her confidence and hand in
an appealing soft way, and in low anxious
| accents asked me which was to be the
best and most fashionable ocean resort
1 this summer.
The sweet girl, assuming a sad tone
| and languid position, said that the pro-
| duce business hadn't been very good this
year for papa, and she couldn't 60 so far
| away; but she'd 60 to. Clatsop, and If IT
| wasn't good there she'd 90 somewhere
| else. "And now," she said, ''if | only
\ dared to show you my new bathing suitE"
l effusively told her could stand it if
she could, and using the book for another
white lie we glided into the library. She
went up stairs as though Heaven was at
the upper end, and came down as though
| she had been mistaken. She is a tall
girl fully five feet eight, if she's an inch,
and when she held up before her-high
enough TO blush unseen-a bathing suit,
two feet six inches long, / could Only gay,
"your little sister will look Just too sweet
for ANYTHING in that" "It's for me. not
for the kid" and her laugh rippled up
stairs, then down into the parlor making
everyone happy but myself. How could
/ be happy with five foot eight girl tell
ing me she was going to wear two foot
six garment, with hundred yards lying
between her starting point and sufficient
water to hide herself? When L tried to
speak, there was enough husk in my voice
to clothe an ear of corn. And the wee
pants edged off with lace-they weren't
any longer than a moment of bliss.
They looked like the youngest III large
family of half-grown knickerbockers,
and were of blue chintZ. They were a
| French poem of two short lines. The
sleeves consisted of two silk cords tied IN
| bow lust wide enough to leave a little
| red mark, / should imagine, If drawn
lightly. At the ends there were two
tassels TO frolic with her vaccination
! mark. There was waist to the thing
and short skirt of flannel, striped In
| blue and white, but of such length as not
to fray the lace on the pants. / was
| much relieved when informed that the
suit was not complete without stockings
with lace flaps and other exterior decora-
tions upon the skirt. i have serious
doubts in my mind as to whether this
Young lady will dare to wear the suit un-
less she dons q -four barrel in making the
run from the bath house TO four feet of
water. We shall see-I mean / hope We
| won't. But the fact is We are making
4 advances every summer. Our girls Won
: der why it is that no marriage engage
ments come up out of the ocean spray at
the sea shore. One of the principal reas-
/ ons is, that the lady bather5 dress too
clumsily. The matrimonially inclined
young man sees too much slouchy skirt,
bedraggled in the sand and clinging TO
divine forms in such way as TO make
the d. f's. look look like poles stuck into
gunny sacks.
NY word for it, Clatsop and Hwaco in
= their cool innocence assisted by Uniformed
bathing suits have done more to frustrate
wedlock and lessen marriage fees than
cold Indifference and poverty. Nothing
appeals to my better nature more strong
ly than modesty in a girl. Even an as
sumed modesty should pass without the
: taint Of counterfeit; but there is nothing
, of the kind in any of the outrageous
bathing suits which for seasons past have
excited only ridicule at our sea shore.
, won't suggest anything; nor do / believe
in suggestive bathing suits. The Pacific
coast, the Lord knows, is loud enough
already, and will keep 1t up fear; bot
the last time / was at Manhattan beach
1 my attention was directed to two lady
bathers: one an actress the other very
respectable society light, against whom
not a word could be said. Yet, because
of her bathing suit, she got the admiring
glances of the men and the frowns of the
women. She stood at the brink of the
ocean, waiting for her husband 10 join
her in the surf plunge; she was all red-l
mean her stockings were of that color.
She wore a combination of sailor shirt
and short skirt very much like High
landers' kilt. These were of white fan
mel. The collar was turned back upon
the shoulders and drawn together with q
large creamy bow in front. Her trousers
Ito speak of small matters-peeped Just
below her skirt, all edged with lace, very
: much of the style of the suit / saw the
r other night. Aside from the long and
4 full show of stockings there was nothing
that struck me as immodest. / saw nc
e one else that was really shocked. And
p yet, at Ilwaco have felt my spine quivel
and my face grow hot at the sight of 9
: Mother Hubbard. The actress of whom
a We expected more or less, as the cast
, might be, was in full Boomer costume
1 with only her arms bare. When She
{ came from the water by some mysteriou:
arrangement the bloomer was still bloom
ing-flled out with no semblance ol
:, limp or bagginess. i think there is {
golden mean between the two extremes
, and the questions is, who will strike thii
Il happy medium?-Hcnlbrdndt Ia Sun
4 day Welcome.